Automobiles and other machines employing internal combustion engines require various lubricants such as crankcase oil, hydraulic transmission fluid, and the like, for the operation of the various components of the machines. Periodically these lubricants are drained from the engine and removed because they are dirty, they have acquired an undesirable acidity, and have developed a certain amount of sludge, all of which decreases the lubricating power of the material to such an extent that it is advisable to exchange it for new lubricant. The oils which have been drained from the engines are generally collected in automotive service stations and other locations and disposed of in any of a variety of ways. It is common to employ such materials as fuel, as a dressing for the surfaces of unpaved roadways or the material may be dumped as an unusable substance. Not only do these methods of disposal result in some pollution of the environment, but they also represent an economic squandering of dwindling petroleum resources. It has long been apparent that it would be desirable to recover the valuable components from these waste products and to do so with the minimum of pollution and expense.